The Night Prince
by Cee-face
Summary: Do some living before you die; Persona 3 set to the plot of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog". RyojixAigis, multi-chaptered.


**A/N:** So, um, I'm not usually a big author's note person, but I feel this trainwreck at least deserves some explanation, ahaha. Um, this is kind of what happens when I get too caught up in more than one fandom at once -- crossovers, role reversals, etc. This time, it was _SMT: Persona 3_ and _The Princess and the Frog_ that got mashed together. I was kind of iffy about actually doing a project like this, because I rarely see it pulled off very well. Not to mention I had pretty much no idea of how to go about the musical aspect; I didn't want it to be a typical songfic, with the lyrics isolated from the rest of the story's flow, and I didn't want it to be singing, because singing usually comes out in fanfic as...hollow, to me. Anyone can copy-paste lyrics, after all. But I eventually gave in to the ridiculous temptation to actually do this, and I'm hoping I can follow through with it.

Some lyrics have and will be omitted so as to keep the songs fit to the setting of Persona 3; I've tried to keep as many of the lines as possible, though. This will not be a direct dialogue and action gank of The Princess and the Frog with different names -- the characters of Persona 3 are very much their own, so this is not just a written version of the movie, because that would be as boring for me to write as it would be for you guys to read.

...I think that's it, for now. Without further ado, I present to you, _The Night Prince._

* * *

"…perhaps I can now enter sleep mode." While being a robot certainly had its advantages when it came to required rest, if she stayed fully active for too long a time all at once, she would overheat. A small sigh left the robot as she untied her apron, mechanical fingers fumbling with the zipper at the back of her uniform for a moment preceding her decision to get back to that task after removing everything else.

She hung her apron up and peeled off her stockings before she returned to the daunting task of unzipping her maid dress -- the customers at the café certainly appreciated her "unique character" (Aigis never told anyone she actually _was_ a robot and not just playing the part), but this uniform was such a hassle. She needed the money, though…

A lingering glance sidelong at the drawer which housed all her savings and Aigis was finally able to undo her zipper and pull the dress off to hang it back in her wardrobe. She surveyed herself in the mirror briefly. Nothing seemed off-kilter, and so with a relieved sigh, Aigis fell back into her bed (well, it was actually more like a reclining chair) and closed her eyes, starting her sleep mode processors…

_beep beep beeeeeeep, beep beep beeeeeeep--_

…you had to be kidding.

In a daze, Aigis opened her eyes and looked over to the alarm clock with such a facial expression that even through her deadpan, her annoyance was perceptible. Another sigh, this time of exasperation, and she stood, shutting off the alarm clock. The blonde was wordless as she threw the wardrobe back open and pulled her favorite blue dress from its hanger and put her arms through the sleeves, letting it fall over her figure with a blank stare so courteously returned by the reflection in the mirror.

Her best friend's words in her mind -- _it's rude to stare, you know _-- Aigis averted her gaze and collected the money from the pockets of her maid costume, gazing down at the sparse collection of coins in her palm with a shake of her head. With the drawer pulled open, the robot dropped them into the closest canister of money, the short series of _clink-clink-clink_s filling her ears and sounding strangely satisfying through her fatigue. She found her eyes wandering forlornly to the photo resting atop the desk, of a gruff man in a beanie who scowled at the camera -- she wished she had gotten to see him smile more. But, once she completed her goal, once she achieved her dream…he would be happy, then. He always loved dogs. And then she could smile more, too.

With her internal processors protesting every step of the way even though her diligence had renewed itself, she whisked herself out the door.

Tatsumi Port Island was a fascinating little place tucked away in a corner of Japan. It was as its name indicated, though lacking in the proper plural; however, when someone referred to the place, it could easily be assumed that they were talking about the collective of Tatsumi Port along with Iwatodai on the coastline of the neighboring island, connected by bridges and bullet trains. Tatsumi Port was a crawling urban environment, built atop a swampy landmass picked out along the skirting edges of the Japanese territory. Music and pop-culture was an absolute integral part of the community; being mostly left alone by the larger mainland of Japan, Tatsumi Port was left to absorb all kinds of other musical influence in a sort of osmosis to create their own distinct sound -- when you were in Tatsumi Port, you were _in_ Tatsumi Port.

"Oh," as her ticket was handed to her and she noted the starting-up of the bullet train. She gave a harried, though courteous nod to the ticket clerk and rushed ahead; a thrown hand curled around the curve of a support pole as the automatic doors nearly shut on her dress in her wake. Sometimes, times like this -- when you were busy as a bee and rushed to do whatever you were set to -- provided a strange, immersing effect; when the city was most alive, it was a quirk of the citizens to have melodies in their heads and to accept it as naturally as if it were blood coursing through the veins of the vivid environment. It was an understood harmony, a strange, abstract thing that brought all the citizens of Tatsumi Port together. Aigis, though artificial, was not immune to this, and though she questioned many things about herself, this was something she was certain of. The melodies were with her, too:

There's a city, way down on the river. The train shot over the canal dividing one half of the Port from the other.

Where the women are very pretty, and all the men deliver. Girlfriends cooed and crooned to their significant as well as one another about the early hour, to be appraised by expectant boyfriends and female companions powdered with delicate make-up.

They've got music, it's always playing. Even the absent background buzz of the tittering tune over the dull PA carried with it an ambiance -- starts in the daytime, goes all through the night. When you hear that music playing -- through no conscious effort, when you hear it, _feel_ it, you're in Tatsumi Port -- hear what I'm saying, makes you feel alright.

The train made its first stop and opened its doors. Grab somebody, come on down. Aigis watched as a boy enthusiastically, lovingly, swept a flushed, giggling girl off of the train with him. Bring your paintbrush, we're painting the town; as the doors closed, she caught glimpses of the faded, unexpectedly tasteful graffiti on the inner walls of the open-air station.

The doors shut again and Aigis renewed her grip on the bar for balance. She saw the couple kiss as the train departed again, and soon the world outside was speeding by on the other side of the windows; sunlight streamed in, nudging Port Island into full awareness, a bright "good-morning".

Soon, the locomotive belted to a stop, and her own metallic fingers slipped away from the bar from the lack of proper friction provided by human skin. She stumbled, caught her feet on one another; but a hand steadied her under the arm, gripped her shoulder, and the blonde looked up. A man, smiling, wordlessly helped her right herself. She gave her own small smile -- something learned and practiced, admittedly, a cry from sincere, but courteous and thankful all the same -- and he released her. Soon after, he produced a chrysanthemum, withdrawn from its place as décor in his front jacket pocket, and presented it to her. Aigis gave that practiced smile again, received it graciously. There's some sweetness going around; catch it down in--

"…Tatsumi Port Island."

Her stop. Aigis nodded to the man, who saw her off with a smile as she got off the train. The station was quiet, most people not quite awake to the point of transport yet. But, opening the doors, exiting the station--

And the city bloomed rapidly in front of her, the smells, the motions, the people, the melody; we've got magic, good and bad. Somewhere, a tarot card was flipped, the face shown upright, and then reversed -- upright, the skull seemed to smile; reversed, and it frowned. Makes you happy or makes you real sad.

Get everything you want, and the Wheel of Fortune was flipped upwards. Lose what you had; then, the Tower showed itself.

Aigis saw the kennel across the street and after a brief glance both ways to ensure no traffic was coming, she began to cross. She had almost made it to the building when a boy sashayed his way into her path and held out a hand to her; hey, partner, don't be shy. A blank stare before she shook her head and sidestepped around him, entering the kennel with the tinkle of bells.

There was but one dog in doggy day-care today, and Aigis sighed, glancing out the window. Come on down and give us a try.

Silently, she approached the chocolate-colored dog and motioned it towards her. It bounded to the robot and she stroked under its ears before grabbing one of the many leashes off of the collection of hooks on the wall and hooking it to the ring on the hound's collar. Straightening up, she gave a beckoning tug on the leash and once she had the dog's full attention, they exited, setting off on their walk.

Aigis took him the short way to the shrine and watched as he began to nose around, keeping a loose grip on the handle of the leash. There was no one else at the shrine, and it remained that way for a while as the dog pranced about, exploring the area after Aigis let go of the lead. When he finally came back to her, she picked up the leash again and replaced it around her wrist. However, turning to leave, she spotted a boy -- not a boy of the likes of anything she had seen before, with ghostly pale skin contrasting against dark hair and an eyesore of a scarf that fluttered behind him as he stepped in time to the ever-present music of the city.

She moved to go around him, as he didn't seem to be paying much attention and she didn't wish to bump into him, but just short of the top of the stairs, he made sharp eye contact with her, like he had been alert the entire time. A charming smile and he held thin-looking fingers over his heart, tactfully closing some of the distance between them with a rhythmic step. He held a tarot card between two fingers of his opposite hand, but she was more focused on his eyes, boring into her like an invitation: You want to do some living before you die?

Something in her rejected him immediately and she glared, turning her head away as quickly as her body allowed. She did not see the smile and nonchalant shrug he gave in response to this, continuing further onto the grounds of the shrine as Aigis herself left down the stairs with her pooch companion in tow.

Aigis thought nothing more of the encounter after that, but it seemed to be like a trigger; on the way back, she took everything in, as if the city were something she had never seen before. Stately homes and mansions -- towering skyscrapers and lights everywhere, penthouses and back-alley dumps. Big screens showing the latest trendy products and icons, with occasional hopeful goers pausing to gaze admiringly up into them, eyes wishing, wanting, to someday be on those screens. Rich people, poor people all got dreams. On the screen, a poppy pigtailed girl winked at the camera -- "Dreams do come true! In--"

Her canine follower gave a bark which drew her attention away from the advertisement, and when she noticed that he was sitting down and staring expectantly up at her, Aigis realized that at some point, she had stopped walking. Shaking her head as if such a motion would free her from her reverie, the pair began walking again and soon returned to the kennel. And upon going inside, suddenly the beat faded from her mind and she pulled herself away from the synchronization of the rest of Tatsumi Port, as if disconnecting from some strange force.

The pooch giving a small whine again brought her back before her thoughts could drift too far, and once he was safely led back to the doggy daycare room, she unhooked him from the leash. He barked appreciatively and she patted the top of his head. "Do not worry. The other regulars should be arriving approximately within the next hour and forty-two minutes," the blonde informed him as she stood. Closing the gate of the daycare room behind her, Aigis hung up the lead on its according hook on her way to taking her place at the front desk.

It was a restless while of watching the clock and waiting for customers that wouldn't come until later when a small mass of chattering teenagers made their way in, headed by a pale blunette and a darkly tanned redhead. "Oh, Aigis," the blunette said in her soft voice, offering a gentle smile.

The android glanced between her and the redhead. "Greetings, Fuuka-san, Natsuki-san." Natsuki stood with a hand on a cocked hip and gazed expectantly down at Fuuka, who seemed to take this as some sort of cue.

"Um, Aigis, we were wondering if maybe you'd like to go somewhere with us tonight." The kindly technophile had a hopeful look on her face as she said this, but something in her eyes seemed to know better.

Aigis regarded her friend with something like regret before shaking her head in the negative. "I apologize. I cannot. I am working a double shift tonight, in order to--"

Fuuka cut her off, nervously jumping the gun on her response. "O-oh, yes, I know. To save for your shelter. It's okay, I understand. But, are you sure…?" she prompted dejectedly. "You know, the festival starts today, after all, and you deserve to have fun too…"

Aigis found in herself the capacity to feel genuinely bad for having to turn down the offer, but regardless, she stood her ground. "I cannot. …I'm sorry."

Natsuki sighed in exasperation, leering tellingly down at her quieter friend. "I told you she wouldn't," the carrot-top chided as her arms crossed themselves over her chest. "Come on, guys. Let's go." Jerking her head to beckon the others, Natsuki started off with the rest of the posse; only Fuuka lingered.

"See you later, Aigis," she chimed with a sad smile, giving a final wave as she exited. On her way out, she had a close encounter as Eiichiro Takeba made his way in, accompanied by the sound of the bells above the door.

"Ah, Aigis-san," he greeted with a smile that always seemed to look nervous. The robotic girl straightened up and answered with a nod.

"Takeba-san," she replied. Eiichiro Takeba didn't own any dogs to speak of, but he did volunteer work at the kennel occasionally -- on his own time, yes, but he did it for free and they took all the help they could get. He was a busy man, and so they appreciated his efforts. "Only Pochi-san is here right now, and I have taken him for his morning walk, but you are welcome to keep him company until you are needed elsewhere," Aigis informed him.

"Ah-ha, I see," said the man with a smile. He made his way to the back room and Aigis resigned herself to more waiting, but soon Eiichiro emerged again, chuckling. "He's napping. Guess even dogs don't like getting up in the morning."

Aigis registered this as a joke and so put on a smile. "Yes, I suppose so. I apologize, Takeba-san. I do not wish for you to waste your time here when there is no task to accomplish."

He chuckled again and shook his head. "No, it's quite alright, Aigis-san. My next engagement isn't for--" at this moment, he checked his watch, "another hour. I have time."

It puzzled Aigis as to why Eiichiro would wish to stay at the kennel if he had nothing to do, but she didn't have time to think on it much as the sound of a door slamming and a bell ringing furiously shredded her logic thread -- with how much action that bell was seeing, you'd think people were dropping off dogs by the litter.

"Aigis!"

Ah, Yukari. "Good morning, Yukari-san."

The brunette laughed energetically and approached Aigis, hugging her -- an action that was sheepishly reciprocated. "Did you hear the news, Aigis?" inquired Yukari with a smile.

The blonde tilted her head. "Which section of news are you referring to?" Just walking into town, hearing news was inevitable, but Aigis had a feeling that her friend had something specific in mind.

"Oh! Can I tell her, Dad?" The pretty-in-pink teen quickly looked to her father for approval, beaming. He had barely finished nodding when Yukari continued, almost bursting from excitement. "There's this really wealthy kid coming to town, his parents are totally famous in the business world-- but, rumor has it that he's actually a _prince,_ and those are just his foster parents, so he can 'blend in' more. The media is all over it; he's like the hottest thing since Risette!"

Aigis took in her friend's excited chatter, not really grasping how it was relevant to her but glad that Yukari seemed to be pleased. "You are excited for this, Yukari-san?"

Yukari gave another laugh. "_Am_ I! I'd pretty much given up on fairytales and all that junk, but…a _prince,_ Aigis, can you believe it?" She seemed to become flustered at this thought, as if said prince were actually present, and self-consciously smoothed out her skirt and her hair. "And -- it's so great -- Dad invited him to the private party that we rented out Club Escapade for, plus Dad's on good terms with the prince's parents -- previous business relations and stuff -- so he'll be staying with us while he's here! Isn't it cool?"

Aigis gave a smile, albeit one she had to think about giving. "Yes. It's quite cool, Yukari-san." The bell rang again as another person entered -- this time a real customer, and Aigis set to work servicing them, ringing up a quote on the cash register and taking the leash to their precious pooch, which Eiichiro courteously took off her hands to take care of. "If it is not overstepping any boundaries, Yukari-san," started the humanoid as the customer left, "I have been informed that members of the male persuasion like when a female is not overeager; there is a degree of mystery involved that allows imaginative license."

Yukari seemed to retain this and gave a small hum. "…I'm not really 'mysterious'. I _am_ eager to meet him, so I can't help it if…" Something brilliant seemed to occur to her in the middle of her sentence and her countenance lifted in glee. "Wait! Aigis, _you're _mysterious, and you're good at not showing what you're thinking! Would you come to the party and help me out?"

Aigis rejected the thought to remind Yukari that she was good at suppressing expressions because she wasn't really sure how they, thoughts, and feelings synched up in the first place, and instead opted for a more tactful approach to the invite, the best way she knew how, anyways. "…I would enjoy attending the party, Yukari-san. However, I cannot afford to miss an opportunity for a shift at work."

Yukari's face fell, and she mumbled, "Oh, right…" She was as well aware of Aigis' goal as anyone else in their social circle. She remained in awkward silence for a moment, processing away as Aigis rang up another customer and handed the leash off to Eiichiro. "--oh, hold on! What if you worked as a server and I paid you for that? You'd be on hand whenever I needed you; I'll pay you double what the café normally does!"

Aigis stared at Yukari for a moment, scarcely taking in her companion's anticipation as she did the calculations. Twice her usual wage, with how long the party would probably last, and what she had saved up…

Her eyes widened slightly as the realization seeped in. "That would bring my total savings to the amount required to purchase the building I wish to convert into a shelter," thought the android out loud, to an excited laugh from the brunette that had been awaiting her response.

"That's great, Aigis! Does that mean you'll do it?" the robot's friend prompted. Aigis was silent for a moment, but eventually gave a slow nod.

"…yes. I will do it."

Yukari smiled and leaned over the counter to hug Aigis again. "Thank you so much!" Her gaze found Eiichiro as he emerged from the back room, and Yukari snatched his hand as soon as it was within reach, pulling him through the counter door. "Come on, Dad! We have to do the party preparations!"

"Ah, Yukari--"

"See you later, Aigis!" She waved a quick good-bye over her shoulder as she pulled her father along behind her, the latter of whom sent an apologetic look to Aigis as they exited.

The mechanical girl watched the Takeba pair leave with faint amusement, and was shaking her head to herself before she realized it.

Apparently, she was going to a party tonight.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you thought; the Persona 3 fandom is small, yes, but I know you guys are out there. I want to know if this project is worth finishing, so if you liked it, please tell me, and tell me why, too!

That is all. Cee out. c:


End file.
